EMERGENCY services say it is a miracle no-one was seriously injured after a crash left a van on fire and a car overturned in a garden.

But angry residents say it is more evidence the area of Bloomfield Road and Cefn Road, Blackwood, is an accident blackspot, and traffic calming must be introduced.

As later editions of the Argus reported, the car flew through the air with the force of the crash and demolished a garden wall on Wednesday morning.

The driver of the Vauxhall van managed to free himself before it caught fire and the man and woman in the car had to be cut free by a fire crew.

They were taken to the Royal Gwent Hospital as a precaution but discharged soon afterwards.

The garden in which the car ended up was the same property that had a bus plough through its front room several years ago following a collision with another bus at the junction of Cefn Road and Bloomfield Road. That incident led to the death of the driver whose bus ended up in the house.

Gwyneth Candy, who lives in the house on Cefn Road where the car ended up, said: "I was shopping when it happened but had it been the day before I would have been doing my garden and been right where the car landed.

"Had it happened just 20 minutes before a lollipop lady would have been crossing children to Blackwood Primary School. Something has to done before we have another death."

PC Tracy Thomas, of Blackwood police, said speed was not a factor in the crash and no charges were likely to be brought. Des Burns, leading firefighter at Cefn Fforest fire station, said all three were very lucky. "Thank God the van driver was not trapped when his bonnet caught fire."